Tuscaloosa City Council unanimous in approval of new student apartment complex

Wednesday

Aug 21, 2013 at 12:17 AM

A new $30 million, 628-bed student housing complex on Tuesday gained unanimous approval from the Tuscaloosa City Council. At issue before the council was a rezoning request to convert 0.4 acres of the overall 15.86-acre site to riverfront development zoning, putting it in line with the remainder of the tract.

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

A new $30 million, 628-bed student housing complex on Tuesday gained unanimous approval from the Tuscaloosa City Council.At issue before the council was a rezoning request to convert 0.4 acres of the overall 15.86-acre site to riverfront development zoning, putting it in line with the remainder of the tract.A second item was a vote to approve the site development plans of The Grove at Tuscaloosa, which is a City Council requirement for any project in the riverfront development zone.“It’s been a long time coming for us,” said Alex Eyssen, director of development for Campus Crest Development, the Charlotte, N.C.-based company behind the project. “We look forward to being a long-term member of the community.”Eyssen said the project still needs to obtain permits and have its plans finalized by the city’s Department of Planning and Development Services.If all goes smoothly, he said construction could begin within the next 90 days.The 228-unit complex is expected to be complete in time for the fall 2015 semester, he said.In a presentation to the City Council regarding the proposed development, Eyssen said Campus Crest Development plans to have a clubhouse, swimming pool, recreational areas and a parking deck.The units will be furnished, with a full kitchen, washers and dryers and high-speed Internet access, he said. “We’re trying to create a lifestyle,” Eyssen said.The developers also intend to construct a $1 million improvement to the interchange of Jack Warner Parkway and McFarland Boulevard to provide better access to their Sixth Avenue development.Last month, the project gained approval from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission for the rezoning, a subdivision realignment and the vacating of an unused street.But the commission voted 5 for and 3 against, failing to endorse the site development plans under the stringent riverfront development zoning, which requires at least six commissioners to approve.The plans’ approval by the City Council paves the way for the construction, which will be alongside The Bluffs at Waterworks Landing, a 116-unit, 208-bed complex completed alongside the Black Warrior River in 2008.It also will add to the more than 12,000 multifamily bedrooms constructed — with more than 8,000 more in the works — within the city since 2002, according to data compiled by city officials.Mayor Walt Maddox has formed a student housing task force to gather hard data on whether Tuscaloosa is becoming oversaturated with private student housing developments.The second meeting of the task force is set for Wednesday, and the group has been issued a Nov. 5 deadline to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the City Council.